A documentary podcast series about choosing to become a single mother and coping with being one.

I'm Sophie Harper, creator of Not By Accident podcast and single mother to Astrid, who's three.

Now and then we can decide to make a choice, to take action and to set life on a new course. We don’t have to just accept our circumstances. We can make life more what we want it to be.

The day after my 38th birthday, I called a clinic and booked an appointment to talk about choosing a donor and getting pregnant. I was single and had hoped I’d find myself in a happy, healthy relationship with someone who wanted to embark on parenthood with me. That didn’t happen and didn’t look like it was about to, so I felt I had to take action before it was too late. Now I have a wonderful daughter, Astrid, and absolutely no regrets.

This project has been a long time coming. For the past five years I've been using my audio recorder like a camera or sketchbook. I have more than a hundred hours of recordings: my first visit to the insemination clinic, my journey to the hospital once labor was underway, my daughter’s first birthday, and hundreds of conversations with family and friends detailing the ups and downs along the way. These recordings are the foundation of our story.

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NOT BY ACCIDENT

Sophie Harper

EPISODES

Here are the first six episodes of Not By Accident. It's serialized, so best to start at episode one and work your way through. Follow the link below to see all the episodes, or subscribe in iTunes or your favourite podcatcher to keep up to date. New episodes are out every two weeks.